Part 37 (1/2)

Sandra: No. People think that, you know. There were just different takes. I mean, I did like the same take only different improvisation. It was a matter of which improv Marty preferred.

Judd: So what do you think about your character?

Sandra: I think she's somebody that, at the time, I could relate to, and was very close to who I was emotionally. I was very needy and I wanted things to happen in my career that weren't happening. I was alienated and lonely and all those things that she felt. So she was easily understood. I mean, now that it's changed my life, I don't feel so close to that character, and I don't think I should. I don't think it would be a healthy way to relate to people.

Judd: When you saw the film, what did you think?

Sandra: I was pleased. I was especially pleased with my part.

Judd: Yeah, you got great reviews. They said you carried the film.

Sandra: To a certain degree, I guess I did. I certainly interjected a lot of excitement and energy into it. Which it needed, I think.

Judd: So what was your childhood- Sandra: Typical and not typical. I was raised half in Michigan and half in Arizona. I was born in Michigan, in a middle-cla.s.s, upper-middle-cla.s.s, Jewish family. My father's a doctor, and my mother's a nurse. Three older brothers. The thing that made a difference is that I was the youngest, and the only girl. I think I got a different perspective on life than most people do, because, you know-I had to hold my own in a family of men.

Judd: You had to be tough.

Sandra: Not tough, just learn how to get attention.

Judd: Through being funny?

Sandra: Yeah, I was always funny. And pretty intense.

Judd: Popular?

Sandra: No, not really. I mean I had a lot of friends but I never thought of myself as popular because, I mean, I was always kind of thin and, you know, different. I felt more self-conscious.

Judd: So who did you idolize as a kid?

Sandra: Carol Channing. I saw her in h.e.l.lo, Dolly! when I was eight years old.

Judd: Any other comedians?

Sandra: No, not really. I mean there were comic actors and actresses, you know. A woman had a show called Pete and Gladys that was on for a little while-and do you know Cara Williams? She's great. It was a great show. But it was only on for a little while.

Judd: When did you decide you were gonna be a comic? High school?

Sandra: I never made the choice to become a comic. I always wanted to become a singer and an actress. And I just made some friends in L.A. who thought I should be in comedy, because it's more accessible for a woman. Harder, but you get more attention. And I had a flair for comedy, but really, my first year in L.A. is when I started doing it.

Judd: And what was your first comedy stage like?

Sandra: It was pretty good. I was confident because I didn't know what to expect. I just watched other people, so I sort of imitated- Judd: Where did you do that?

Sandra: At a place called the Ye Little Club.

Judd: How long did it take you to get confident as a performer, comfortable onstage?

Sandra: I'm still doing that. It's an endless process. I mean, you get more and more confident. Especially when I got the movie. That set me off.

Judd: How would you describe your act onstage? Because you seem very different, from-I mean, I saw you and you seem like a different person onstage.

Sandra: Well, you have to be. You have to have some sort of a persona onstage to get your point across. And you're not gonna just walk up there casual, like you're carrying on a conversation and, you know, be entertaining at the same time. That's a part of me, that character I use onstage. It's a part of who I am. But you just can't do that all the time without burning yourself out.

Judd: So how have you handled everything? Fame?

Sandra: Quite well. It hasn't radically changed-I mean, I didn't make a lot of money. If I made a lot of money, if I was rich right now, it might have changed my life a little bit more. But I'm pretty much in the same financial position. I'm okay, but-you know.

Judd: Do you think you're gonna be a superstar one day?

Sandra: Well, I think I'll be-I think I'll be pretty out there. I don't know if there's anybody that's a superstar anymore. That's sort of a thing of the past.

Judd: So what would success mean for you, then?

Sandra: Working a lot. Doing good work. Having people respect me. Being recognized by the public and having power to do what I want to do.

Judd: And if you could do anything what would it be?

Sandra: A lot of films, more money. Interesting films.

Judd: Serious films?

Sandra: Serious and comedy both.

Judd: Say Eddie Murphy gets fifteen million to do whatever he wants. You would like something like that, I guess?

Sandra: Well, I don't think I need fifteen million dollars- Judd: Creative control over your work, then?

Sandra: Yeah, I want creative control. I'm not looking to make a billion dollars. I want to be comfortable, but I'm not starving for that kind of-that's egotistical to me, and bulls.h.i.+t. And they don't do that with women, they only do that with men.

Judd: Why do you think that is?

Sandra: Because men control the business, men are in power, and men want to keep men in power.

Judd: How long did it take you to get relaxed onstage, so that you could just interact with the audience?

Sandra: I did that almost from the start. I was never really comfortable doing it, and I wasn't sure what I was gonna say, but I did it anyway. That's how I wanted to relate as a performer. I never wanted that wall up, you know. I didn't want to just tell jokes. But I wanted to relate to people so I was willing to take that risk of getting a bad reaction.

Judd: Did you ever get a bad reaction?

Sandra: Sure. A lot. I still do. Kind of a general thing in the audience. Audiences can turn real vicious sometimes. You know, collectively. Audiences are not to be trusted until you're about halfway through the show. They can turn on you. They're very-people are weird, they're like wild animals.

Judd: And that happens to you even now?

Sandra: Once in a while, there'll be a smattering of people who'll come-it's happened a couple of times at Carolines. Some people came in. And there was just-they wanted to start problems with me. They really didn't know who I was and they came anyway, so they just talked, and I said, ”What the f.u.c.k are you doing here?” You know what I mean? ”People are here to have a good time, I'm here to entertain them. These people know who I am, they respect my work-and if you don't know what I'm doing, and you don't like it, then get the f.u.c.k out.”